Lover of My Soul

CHAPTER ONE

London, 1817

Millicent pointed the gun at his heart and said, “Monsieur, I believe you would do best to step back and walk away. Your only alternative is death.” Thrilled that the anger at being threatened overwhelmed her terror of being accosted by the strange man, Millicent focused her gaze on the man’s beady eyes.

The strange man looked at the young woman pointing the pistol at him, gauging his chances. She looked an innocent chit, but she was defending the children, which made her dangerous. He decided to back away and take his chances with an angry boss over this riled up female with the blazing deep brown eyes and wild red hair to match.

“My ‘pologies, m’lady. Perhaps you mistook my ‘ntentions. I meant only to comment on what loverly children you ‘ave. No need for weaponry.” He swept his grubby hat off his head and bowed low, backing away. “G’day.”

Millicent stood, pointing the gun in her now shaking hand, until the man walked out of the park and around the corner. Finally, she let her arm drop to her side. Great wracking sobs began to well up in her chest and before she could stop it, one escaped her lips. The noise startled the children and, as if on cue, began wailing loudly.

She quickly got control of herself, taking deep, cleansing breaths, and quickly shoving her small pistol in her reticule, she turned and knelt by the children who were clutching her skirt. She pulled them into her arms and began consoling them,

“Sh-sh-sh! All is well now. Grace, take my tissue and wipe your nose. Jonathon, take a deep breath and blow your cries away. There, now. Isn’t that better?” The children had begun to quiet down with quiet sniffling sobs.

“Wh-what did that man want?” Jonathon asked, between hiccups.

“He was just confused. He must have thought we were another family,” Millicent quickly improvised.

Not satisfied, Jonathon pressed Millicent. “But Millie, why did you point your pistol at him? Were you afraid?”

Grace, only 4 years old, began to wail again at the mention of Millicent’s pistol. “I’m afraid Millie!”

Millicent held Grace close to her chest and waited to answer Jonathon until Grace’s sobs had quieted.

“Jonathon, yes I was a bit afraid which is why I showed the man my pistol. But I knew I would not have to use it.”

“You did?” Jonathon’s eyes showed his confusion.

“Yes. Because you were here, my strong young man, and I knew you would protect Grace and me.”

Jonathon’s eyes were wide as saucers as he processed Millicent’s words. Shock, surprise and then pride filled his eyes as he suddenly stretched himself to the full height of his eight years and puffed his chest out a bit.

“Of course you are safe with me. I will always take care of my sister and my governess.”

Millicent turned away as she stood to hide the smile that flitted across her lips. Scooping Grace into her arms, Millicent took Jonathon’s proffered arm and they began their walk across the park to their home.

Millicent did not relax until they were safely inside the residence of Earl and Lady Porthwick, the parents of her two charges. She immediately put the children in the care of their nanny who ushered them up the stairs to the nursery for teatime.

Millicent watched as the children, chattering away to the nanny, wondered how she was going to deal with the situation. She knew she had to immediately tell his lordship, before Jonathon had the chance to brag of his “bravery,” and Millicent knew the story would be embellished readily and many times before the night was over. Placing her reticule on the hall table, she smoothed her skirts, ran a hand over her hair, pressed the flyaway bits back into place, and walked to the earl’s study door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

“Enter!” The earl’s kindly voice calmed her fears immediately. She loved the Earl dearly and treasured the times she spent assisting him with his accounts. Squaring her shoulders, she entered the study and closed the door behind her.

Standing on the landing above her husband’s study, Lady Regina Porthwick watched as Millicent entered her husband’s study. Regina knew of Millicent’s fondness for the earl, and although she did not doubt her husband’s faithfulness, she still experienced an uncomfortable sensation of jealousy…something she never thought she would endure as the wife of an older man.

At thirty years of age, Lady Regina Porthwick was twenty years younger than her husband, Earl Porthwick. Theirs had not been a love match, but more a marriage of necessity. At twenty-one, Regina married the earl. The first Lady Porthwick had died giving birth to the seventh stillborn child of their marriage. Regina was neither a beauty nor a charming catch. However, as daughter of the thirteenth Duke of Bainbridge, she possessed a sizeable dowry. This made her attractive to prospective grooms, but her quiet manner and shrewish tendencies scared them away.

Earl Porthwick, having been a widow for some five years, felt Regina needed only a firm, but kind husband to tame the harsher aspects of her character. Also, he was aging and in need of an heir. Within one year of his marriage to Regina, she had given him his life long heart’s desire: a son and heir. Four years later, she gave him what he never dared hope for, a daughter to spoil and pamper to his heart’s content.

While Regina was still quiet and sometimes harsh, she grew to love the earl completely and was fiercely protective of him. Having an older husband had proven the perfect match for her as he was not inclined to keep a mistress as was the pattern of so many in the ton. He never strayed from her side and doted on her with everything he possessed, both materially and emotionally.

The need for a governess had arisen when Jonathon became old enough to begin his studies. Regina turned to her second cousin, Sister Maria Theresa, who was headmistress at Miss Pruim’s School for the Advancement of Respectable Ladies. Sister Maria Theresa quickly sent over her star pupil, Millicent Fairleigh. Regina quickly recognized a catch in Millicent and hired her on the spot. Regina simply did not plan on jealousy spoiling her great catch.

********

“Ah, my dear Millicent. How are my beloved children?” The earl sat behind a large, carved mahogany desk with papers and files strewn in front of him.

“They are find, my lord. We have only just returned from the park.” Millicent paused, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“Ah? A perfect day for it, too, I must say.” The earl’s eyes twinkled with merriment.
Millicent’s heart sank at the thought of driving that twinkle out of the faded blue eyes. Taking a deep breath, she plunged forward with her story before losing her nerve.

“Yes, my lord. We had ample sunshine for our stroll, but we encountered some rather unsavory company.” She paused, waiting for his reaction before hurrying on. “A man, dressed in shabby clothing, attempted to grab Grace and—please sit down my lord, she is fine and unharmed!” Millicent’s voice trembled as the earl rose from his seat, terror on his face.

“Are you certain? Where is she now? I must see her for my own self.” He immediately walked to the bell pull, ringing for Giles, the butler. Then he began pacing in front of the fire.

“My lord, please, there is no cause for alarm now. The event has passed and all are well.”

“What of my son?”

“He is unharmed as well. It was over in but a brief moment after I—er—persuaded the ruffian to leave.”

The earl stopped his pacing and turned a wary eye on Millicent.

“How did you manage to escape his clutches then?”

Before Millicent could answer, Giles entered the room.

“My lord?”

“Bring my children to me at once, Giles.”

“Of course, my lord.” Giles bowed and left the room. The earl turned back to Millicent and spoke. “Now, you were telling me how you managed to escape this incident unharmed.”

“I always carry a small pistol in my reticule when out with the children. Their safety is of the utmost importance to me, my lord, so I bring it with me when we will not have one of the menservants joining us.”

The earl’s face drained at Millicent’s mention of her pistol. “A pistol? In your reticule?”

“Yes, my lord. As I was saying, I always carry it with me when out with the children. Today, when the man grabbed Grace, I managed to pull the pistol from my bag and point it at him. He was quite shocked by the sight of my gun and immediately let go of Grace. I assured him his best interests lay in his hasty retreat or he would face unpleasant consequences. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he must have seen the determination in my face for he made up a story about complimenting the children and then quickly left the park.”

The earl’s face, which had been so pale, turned a vivid red as Millicent concluded her story. “You feel so unsafe in this town that you carry a firearm to protect my children? A governess? This is unacceptable. Would you know this man by sight were you to see him again?”

Millicent shuddered at the memory of the man’s face. His greasy hair, dirty clothes and brown rotten teeth were forever etched into her mind. “Yes, my lord. I will never forget that face.”

A discreet knock sounded on the door, followed by Giles entering the room, Grace in tow.

“Papa!” A flurry of blond curls and white petticoats ran through the room and threw herself into the earl’s outstretched arms.

“Oh my dear, dear child!” The earl’s voice wavered as he choked on his emotions while holding Grace. “You are safe!”

“Of course we are safe, Papa. I was there to protect the women.”

The earl turned to look askance at his oldest child. Jonathon stood tall and proud with a somber look upon his young face.

“You protected the women? But—” he stopped mid-sentence when Millicent discreetly cleared her throat. A knowing glance passed between the two adults and the earl turned back to his son. “But of course you protected them. As I would expect any man to do. I am proud of you, Jonathon. Proud!” Despite his strong words, the earl pulled the fair-haired boy into a warm embrace, squeezing both children in the process.

“Papa! Ouch!” Grace squealed.

“Papa, please, I cannot breathe.” Jonathon was more reserved.

The earl reluctantly put his daughter on the floor and released his hold from around his son’s shoulders. Millicent turned away from the tender scene to hide the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

The door burst open and Regina rushed in.

“Edwin? Giles said the children were threatened during their walk. What has happened?”

“Calm yourself, my dear. All is well. Our children are unharmed, if only a bit ruffled from their encounter and thanks to our son, Millicent and Grace were well protected.”

Jonathon’s chest swelled with pride at his father’s lavish praise. A smile played at the corners of his mouth as he tried to maintain his new-found manly image.

“But I do not understand. What has happened?” Regina, clearly confused, looked between her husband and Millicent.

“My dear, all will be explained in due time once the children have been returned to their nanny. Giles, if you please.”

“Of course, my lord.” Giles took Grace’s small hand in his, and, with Jonathon following, left the room.

Regina waited for the door to close then rounded on Millicent with flashing eyes.

“Why were my children put in harm’s way? Were you not paying proper attention to them? You should have kept them in the house for their studies instead of prancing around out of doors!”

Millicent shrank from the obvious hatred flashing in Regina’s eyes, and tried, in vain, to remind herself that Regina was merely frightened and had not had time to adjust to the situation as she herself had.

“Now, now my dear. No need for such harsh words. It seems that our Millicent was able to drive the unsavory character away on her own. We should be grateful for her intervention, not accusatory of her behavior.”

Regina had not looked away from Millicent while her husband spoke but after he finished, she slowly turned to look at the earl. She stared at him for several moments before finally relaxing and taking a deep breath.

“But of course, you are right my dear husband. We should be grateful for our governess’s assistance.” She smiled at her husband, but when she turned to look at Millicent, the smile had turned to a sneer and the fire was still flashing in Regina’s eyes.
Millicent suppressed a shudder and attempted to smile back at her employer, but found that all she could muster was a weak half-smile.

“Of course. I would never do anything less than putting your children’s safety at the forefront of all I do.” She praised herself that the trembling which had started inside her had not betrayed itself through her voice.

The earl, apparently satisfied with the women’s exchanged turned to more important matters.
“I must speak with Giles regarding this matter. Millicent, my dear, why don’t you go and see that the children are sufficiently settled. Regina, would you please send Giles in.”

Millicent, grateful for any excuse to leave the tension-filled room, hastily walked to the door, saying, “Of course” over her shoulder as she left. Once the door was closed, she hurried up the stairs to the nursery to check on the children.

Regina stood at the bottom of the stairs watching Millicent, a growing hatred filling her soul.